Apple receives record pre-orders for iPhone 6 models

Apple said it received a record four million first-day pre-orders of its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models, meaning many customers will have to wait until October for their new smartphones.

The company said a significant number of orders will be delivered to US customers beginning on Friday, but many will be shipped in October as demand outstrips supply.

The first-day pre-orders for the new iPhones, which feature larger screens, were double the two million orders for iPhone 5 models in 2012.

"We attribute this (pre-order numbers) to the large pent-up demand for larger screens on the iPhone," Janney Capital Markets analysts wrote in a note. The brokerage raised its unit sales estimate for the latest iPhones to 37.4 million for the fourth quarter and 60 million for the first quarter.

Apple's shares were up less than 1pc at $101.94 in early trading yesterday.